For a dental implant to be effective, it must form as solid a bond as possible with the jaw in as short a period as possible. Numerous dental implant systems have been suggested over the years for attaching false teeth and other dental appliances to the jaw. A number of approaches have included the use of an implant having an open or cage-like structure with holes or apertures which take advantage of bone growth through the apertures during the healing stage. Such approaches are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 1,216,683 in the name of E. J. Greenfield and U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,910 in the name of Fritz Straumann, et al. In such devices, the implant has apertures or interstices through which bone may knit subsequent to the insertion of the implant into the jaw thus in order to more firmly anchor the dental appliance. Other implant arrangements which provide openings to receive bone growth include those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,979,828 in the name of Bill E. Taylor and U.S. Pat. No. 3,576,074 in the name of Sidney D. Gault, et al.
These implants have generally provided little anchoring power until such time as the bone has had an opportunity to grow, thus rendering it possible for the implant to loosen while the bone is knitting.
It is also known that electricity stimulates bone growth, including bone growth in the human jaw. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,392 in the name of Philip M. Sawyer et al. discloses an implant embedded in bone and a battery which supplies D.C. current to aid in the formation of bone. Although the use of electricity to encourage bone growth has been recognized, a truly effective implant which utilizes this concept in the formation of a permanent and solidly anchored implant has yet to be devised.
A further problem with dental implants is that there is always a risk of infection. It is known, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,525 in the name of Frank W. Child, that electricity is helpful in inhibiting infection. However, such approaches have failed to recognize that the electricity which can be utilized to inhibit infection can simultaneously be utilized to promote bone growth during the healing.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved dental implant.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved dental implant which is permanently anchored in the jaw through bone growth.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an implant which restricts movement in a mesial-distal direction and a buccal-lingual direction.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such an improved implant which is firmly anchored to the jaw during the period of healing and bone growth.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a dental implant which achieves maximum anchoring strength more rapidly than would be accomplished through natural bone growth.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a dental implant which avoids inflammation, infection and hard tissue resorption.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a complete implant system including an implant and a power supply, along with a dental appliance which can be anchored to the implant.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a method for forming and inserting such an improved dental implant.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for preparing the jaw bone for the insertion of such improved dental implant.
Various other objects and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the following detailed description of several exemplary embodiments thereof, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in conjunction with the claims appended thereto.